Warwick’s Rusek dives to OCIAA crown

WASHINGTONVILLE — Nick Rusek broke the OCIAA meet diving record last year, but he still placed second to Pine Bush senior Matt Salle, who had set a new OCIAA meet mark with a score of 529.05.

This season, the record is Rusek’s to keep.

Rusek, a sophomore at Warwick, scored 541.95 points in 11 dives to break Salle’s record. Warwick, as a team, took eight of the top 13 spots.

“I don’t really score-watch and say, ‘Oh, I have to get points on this dive and that dive because that gets you nervous and you mess up,’” Rusek said. “I just relax and do what I can do and see how it goes.”

Rusek also nearly set the overall Section 9 diving record of 548.75, set by Pine Bush’s Chris Blackwell in 1992.

“I was going up on the board and I had really no clue what score I was at,” Rusek said. “I just went up on the board and tired to do the best dive I could.”

Warwick’s Brian Green and Chris Deaver, who already clinched spots at the state meet, placed second and fifth, respectively. Qualifying for states for the first time were Pine Bush’s Milo Licata (third), Warwick’s Brendan Leahy (fourth) and Monroe-Woodbury’s Tyler Thompson (sixth).

“It was a goal all year long,” Leahy said. “Doing this at the second-to-last meet, it felt good. It’s good to make it.”

The swimming portion of the OCIAA championships begins at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday at Washingtonville. Warwick is in first place with 96 points after diving.

“I’m ecstatic at how the team did,” said Warwick diving coach Greg Voloshin. “They did absolutely unbelievable as a team and at representing Warwick diving. I couldn’t be prouder of the entire bunch.”